1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to roof apparatus and, more particularly, to flexible roof apparatus for use with structures in which movement may occur, such as mobile homes.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,922, issued Sept. 6, 1977, the inventor-patentee of which is the applicant herein, discloses insulative roof apparatus for mobile homes in which the insulative apparatus includes flexible materials.
While flexible insulation material, such as "Fiberglass," has been known and used for many years, such insulative materials typically are disposed beneath a substantially inflexible roof and thus are not exposed to, or in juxtaposition against, a roof structure directly. Similarly, urethanes are sometimes used to seal flat, inflexible roofs of buildings. Such roofs are normally not subjected to movement which tends to cause cracks, or the like, in the roofs and in the cured urethanes. However, if movement or flexing of such roof occurs, cracks usually result, and the cracks lead to roof leakage. One of the problems with mobile homes is that the homes tend to be somewhat movable or flexible as an inherent trait. Such roofs are typically made simply of thin sheets of steel, or the like, with a relatively thin layer of insulation disposed beneath the outer sheet of steel roofing. As a result of the relatively thin amount of insulation, such mobile homes, and similar structures, tend to be relatively inefficient, energy-wise, in both allowing for the escape of heat in cold weather and allowing for the inflow of heat in hot weather.
A vapor barrier is a necessity in homes, whether they be mobile homes or permanent, fixed homes. Such vapor barrier prevents the condensation of moisture from being a problem beneath the vapor barrier. An example of a vapor barrier in conjunction with a roofing and insulation system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,861,525, issued Nov. 25, 1958. An outer roof waterrproofing is disposed on top of an insulative layer, and a vapor barrier is disposed beneath the insulation and adjacent a roof deck.
Another example of a vapor barrier and insulation disposed between an outer roof panel and the frame of a building is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,307,306, dated Mar. 7, 1967. In the '306 patent, a vapor barrier is disposed directly against roof framing, with the insulation above the vapor barrier and with roof panels disposed on top of the insulation. In this type of arrangement, moisture may condense within the insulation.
Due to the inherent construction of the roof and insulation apparatus of both the '525 and '306 patents, flexibility of a roof structure is not discussed and is not a problem. The roof apparatus of both patents, including the insulation, is designed for what may be referred to as inflexible or "solid" building structures, as opposed to "flexible" building structures, such as mobile homes.
Another problem inherent with the roof structures of flexible buildings is the sealing of the outer periphery or perimeter of the roofs. U.S. Pat. No. 3,404,495 discloses a flashing apparatus for the edge of a flat roof. The flashing system is for solid, and not flexible, roofs or roof structures. That is, the roof apparatus of the '495 patent is designed for a solid as opposed to a flexible building, and flexibility is not a concern in the '495 patent. In the '922 patent discussed above, the inventor discloses a flexible outer seal for sealing the insulative roof apparatus, in which the outer seal is a separate unit or entity from the insulative roof structure itself. In the apparatus of the present invention, the seal for the outer periphery is an integral part of the roof structure itself.